Who muted Bishop Robinson?

Who made the decision to mute Bishop Robinson? HBO has blamed the Presidential Inauguration Committee (see coverage on After Elton). Politco's Ben Smith has this:

“We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson’s invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday’s program. We regret the error in executing this plan – but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event," emails PIC communications director Josh Earnest.

The statement is inadequate to the offense and explains nothing. Bishop Robinson's invocation was moved forward in the program, and the effect of that move was most likely apparent to the people who made it. The PIC owes the bishop and his supporters an explanation.

Pam Spaulding has done a round-up of some reaction, and the Huffington Post is also on the case. Jason Linkins writes:

HBO comes to this controversy without any sort of significant reputation for being a network or a workplace hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In fact, the network is responsible for airing the drama Six Feet Under, which depicted gays in complex relationships unflinchingly. The Obama camp, on the other hand, has courted controversy already with the decision to include in the inauguration Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren, a supporter of Proposition 8 in California. The appearance of a snub in the case of Bishop Robinson has successfully raised the temperature among Democratic activists and in the liberal blogosphere, where outrage is being pointed mostly at the incoming administration and the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Posted by Jim Naughton on January 19, 2009 3:44 PM | |
Comments (5)
We regret the error in executing this plan – but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event

Not entirely true - I'm in town, and the speakers on my half of the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool weren't working and we missed the bishop's prayer. Thousands started chanting "WE CAN'T HEAR! WE CAN'T HEAR!" A friend of mine on the opposite side of the pool said the chanting drowned out their speakers so they couldn't hear, either.

Nathan Empsall

Posted by TransplantedTexan [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 19, 2009 4:50 PM

The DC Gay Men's Chorus sang, right? But my understanding is that on the broadcast, the group was not identified as such.
That slight needs an explanation, too.

Posted by dutchfox [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 19, 2009 5:06 PM

actually, none of the choirs and choruses were identified.

Posted by Jim Naughton [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 19, 2009 5:09 PM

actually, none of the choirs and choruses were identified.

I watched it on HBO East (the signal was free all day Sunday) on CableVision here in Mexico, and almost all of the choirs and choruses were identified with the same sort of titling as the star performers. It very much stood out in my mind when I realized that the DC gay mens chorus was not identified.

Posted by David Allen |dah • veed| [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 20, 2009 7:01 AM

As offensive as the failure to broadcast Bishop Robinson's moving and inclusive prayer was, to me, the Jesus-&-Our Father dominant message from Rick Warren.

(editor's note: Thanks, Joan. We need a full name next time.)

Posted by Joan L [TypeKey Profile Page] | January 21, 2009 2:09 PM

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